Create Aromatic Christmas Ornaments

© by Jennifer McLeod writing as jenjen0703, all rights reserved.

As a child, I remember my mother was creative and loved to do arts and crafts. She would crochet baby clothes, make pictures using counted cross-stitching or hand embroidery, and she loved making Christmas decorations. I am blessed, because she has passed these skills down to me by showing me how to do many of the activities.

One thing that stands out vividly in my memories are the Christmas ornaments we made each year. Mom would take a trip to the local arts and crafts store and would buy a variety of items which puzzled me. I was not quite sure what she planned to do with those items, but I knew whatever it was, we were about to have fun.

When we returned home, Mom explained that she wanted us to help her put together these Christmas ornaments. She told us they would take some time and she needed all the help she could get. So, we joined her and listened to her instructions, as the fragrant smell of cloves rose from the table.

This is a list of items you will need to create your Christmas ornaments

1) Styrofoam craft balls. It does not matter what size ball you use, but I try to stick with small to medium-sized styrofoam balls because it takes less time to make the ornament.

2) Straight pins. Do not use the type of straight pins that have the colored balls on the end. The straight pins you need have a tiny, flat head on them.

3) Christmas ribbon. Choosing your Christmas ribbon is the fun part. Be sure not to select wide ribbon, as it will not fit the ball properly. For a larger ornament, I would not exceed 1 inch in width.

4) Whole cloves. This item is the most expensive item needed to make your aromatic Christmas ornament. I made the mistake once of purchasing the cloves at a grocery store, because a tiny bottle cost me over $4.00. I checked for clove prices online and found a good deal at Amazon for $7.70 a pound.

5) Scissors. You will need a sharp pair of scissors to cut the Christmas ribbon.

All the items you need to make this aromatic Christmas ornament are available for sale through Amazon and are displayed.

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Assembling this aromatic Christmas ornament is easy to do, but it takes a little while to complete it. First, you want to cut strips of ribbon that will fit around the styrofoam ball with a slight amount of overlap. Pin the ribbon ends together with a couple straight pins, overlapping the ends of the ribbon. Flip the ball 180 degrees and stick a couple straight pins on the opposite side of the ribbon. Depending on the size of the styrofoam ball you use, either use two ribbon strips for medium-sized and smaller balls, and use three strips for larger styrofoam balls. The picture I included of the finished product is the ornament I made last Christmas, and it is the size of a softball.

Once you have applied your ribbons the way you want them, insert the pointed ends of the cloves into the styrofoam. Be sure to place the cloves close together. Be gentle with this step. It is easy to break off the tops of the cloves. But, even if you do, leave them in the ball anyway. It will happen. This step is the time consuming step, and you could be working on this step for a few hours. Call upon your children to help you, because they can poke the cloves into the ornament for you.

After you have covered all the bare spots on the styrofoam ball with cloves, cut a smaller piece of ribbon and make a loop out of it. Overlap the ends and use a few straight pins to pin the loop onto the spot where the other ribbons meet. The loop will help cover up the other pins and the overlaps of the other ribbons.

Ta-dah! You now have yourself a beautiful, aromatic Christmas ornament. Hang it up to give your home a delicious smell. When it is time to pack up your Christmas decorations, place your Christmas ornament in a zip-lock bag and save it for the following year. The ornament will hold the smell for a long time, if it is stored properly when not in use.

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